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Maybe I need to stop reading apartmentratings.com. Seems every apartment I look at gets a bad rating. A lot seem to be under new management and are causing the new bad ratings. Other apartments are only renovating the insides, but the outsides still look like dumps.
I'm just trying to find a larger apartment (bigger than 740sq ft) for $600/mo or less, but I don't want to live in a dump or move to a roach infested apartment or one that won't fix things. There has to be some good places left besides where I am (Cumberland Cove....I love the area but my apartment is too small for me and I can't afford their larger ones).
Seems every apartment I look at gets a bad rating.
Think about it this way. . . . .
Who writes those reviews? Do you need to be an actual resident of the apartment complex to write one? Can some bored teenager from across the country create an account and give a bad review to an apartment complex he's never seen. Can the manager of a competing apartment complex down the street create an account and trash her competition's reputation?
As the previous poster said, you have to take on-line reviews with a huge grain of salt.
People who are satisfied and happy rarely take the effort to go post a review.
You have to read between the lines, and toss out the extreme rants and also ignore the super positive reviews (those with marketing-speak terms that were surely written by the apartment complex managers themselves).
I agree with the above statements on reviews, and also, good luck finding something in that size with that price range. I live in one of the most affordable complexes in the area, without having to sacrifice quality (no granite counter tops, but fairly nice, nice grounds, nice staff, nice neighbors etc.) but even here your budget cuts it close.
Oh yes, I do realize it's a long shot to get the size I want in the price I can afford, but I've seen many places with specials now so I could go as high as $650 if I had to. I work for the state and haven't had a raise in 4 years, so unfortunately my salary hasn't kept up with the cost of living.
That is a good point to keep in mind about the reviews. The apartment I currently live in gets bad reviews too but I've lived here 9 years and have had a good experience.
Take if from a former Property Manager for many years - many times folks feel the need to vent when they are told no. Unless the rants include MANY substatial issues, I would ignorge them like the other posters said.
Get a copty of the local Apartment Books, choose an area and price range and hit the streets. Visit and make your own decision. Those ratings will drive you crazy if you let them. Also, anything is possible in the current market. Don't get discouraged just keep looking.
Oh yes, I do realize it's a long shot to get the size I want in the price I can afford, but I've seen many places with specials now so I could go as high as $650 if I had to. I work for the state and haven't had a raise in 4 years, so unfortunately my salary hasn't kept up with the cost of living.
That is a good point to keep in mind about the reviews. The apartment I currently live in gets bad reviews too but I've lived here 9 years and have had a good experience.
Be well aware, that most teaser rates are designed just for the first lease.
Next year, renewal will give you sticker shock.
I rent an 870 SF 1 BR in Northridge Crossings which goes normally for around $700 + all utilities. That seemsa reasonable rate for a decent place.
To post a review of your apartment, you really need to seek out a site, register, login, and then write. Given this kind of time, you are only going to have reviews of the most motivated people (read: mad). Satisfied customers don't have an incentive to bother.
Unfortunately, real estate is a field where the customer is not always right. Sometimes people don't read the lease or other information they're given, don't pay rent on time, don't actually request the maintenance they need, don't bother cleaning their apartment, and then turn around and hurl insults at the landlord because they saw an insect.
That said, larger communities spend more on marketing, have nice offices, pleasant music, and a polished sales staff. They give you "only good today" specials. They raise rent after the first year, and charge exorbitant amounts for short-term renewals. Buildings can have thin walls, and cheap fixtures. Neighbors can be transient, and disrespectful. There are lots of communities that were built in the 80s which look nice from the outside, but aren't from the inside.
So, how to choose? In general, you get what you pay for. Make a checklist of important features to bring when you visit a community. Ask them when the place was built. Look at the cars in the parking lot. Look for a place with decent standards for tenants. Inquire about on-site maintenance, or timely service guarantees. Don't judge by viewing a "model". Take a second trip there to look again.
Hardly ever does a person that's content write a review, it's always the disgruntled ones.
That being said the sq footage and price you are looking for may be hard to find.
Last edited by rociovrojas; 06-28-2011 at 07:13 PM..
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Apartment reviews
